Arsenal are set to disregard Thierry Henry's call for a new striker in the January transfer window, with the club unlikely to make a signing before tonight's 11pm deadline. Despite the club legend's public plea, Mikel Arteta is reportedly relaxed about his attacking options after Kai Havertz's 15th goal of the season helped secure a 5-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday.
The victory kept Arsenal within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, but Henry urged the club not to overlook their need for a centre-forward. Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Henry said: 'As an Arsenal fan, I've been asking for a nine for two years, four transfer windows. You can't be calling for a nine when you can't score and then when you do, forget it.'
Arsenal have been linked with several strikers this month, including Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, and Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel. However, talkSPORT reports that the Gunners were only willing to recruit if any of their long-term targets became available, which is unlikely on deadline day. Arteta is said to be satisfied with Havertz's goal tally despite the German's perceived lack of clinical edge.
The club's attacking depth has been further tested by season-ending injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, but Arsenal have scored 49 goals this season—four fewer than at the same stage last campaign and seven fewer than Liverpool. The Gunners next face Newcastle United on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, trailing 2-0.
